Collection of Food Relevant Microscopic Fungi under the Czech National Programme of Protection of Genetic Resources of Economically Significant Microorganisms – A Short Report

A unique proj ect exists in the Czech Republic, namely the Czech National Programme of Protection of Genetic Resources of Economically Significant Microorganisms and Tiny Animals (NPPGR), which includes nineteen Czech collections of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi), viruses, and tiny animals. It is fully financed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic. Under this Programme, the Culture Collection of Fungi (CCF) in Prague maintains 293 fungal strains, 225 of which are food and feed relevant fungi (e.g. toxigenic Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium verrucosum, and Fusarium sporotrichioides). The main aims of the Programme are to provide adequate protection of the microbial genetic resources that are of importance to the agriculture and food industries, to provide strains (free of charge) for the research and educational purposes, and to support the cooperation between Czech and foreign institutions. A database of all microorganisms is accessible online.